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v R. H. LAWSON. SHOE NAIL RECLAIMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I, 1918.

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Patented May 13, 1919.

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R. H. LAWSON.

SHOE NAIL RECLAIMlNG MACHINE.

APifLICATION FILED FEB. 1. 191a.

Patented May 13, 1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. LAWSON, or BEVERLY, MAssA'cHU'sETTs, AssrGnoR To UNITED SHOE MACHINERY ooRroRATIon, or PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 13, 1919.

Application filed February 7, 1918. Serial No 215,770,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT H. LAWSON, a citizen of the United States, residin at Beverly, in the county of Essex and tate of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvement-s in Shoe- Wail Reclaiming Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference charactors on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates, in general, to nail reclaiming machines, and more particularly to machines for assorting nails as to a physlcal characteristic of the nails preparatory to their use in shoe nailing machines, such, for example, as heel nailing machines or for other purposes.

It is well known that in many shoe factories large numbers of nails are dropped upon the floor in the operation of transferring the nails from the boxes in which they are/received, to the heel nailing machines and are discarded with the other sweepings at the end of the day.- Many nails are wasted in this and other ways, as heretofore it has not been considered worth while to attempt to recover these nails from the dirt and trash with which they were commlngled since the cost of the labor which would be required to recover the nails would be greater than their actual value. Itis accordingly highly deslrable to provide for reclaiming these nails profitably, and the object of the present invention is to providemechanism which will assort the nails economically and withprecision, as a step in their recovery from the sweepings of shoe factories. i

In a: co-pending applicatlon, Ser1al No. 215,769, filed of even date herewith, I have shown and described a machine which embodies mechanism for cleaning the nails by separating them from the debrls w th wh ch they are connningled, the nails belng del1v ered such machines to a receptacle free of any dirt, or other foreign matter. 'll-hese nails, however, are of various slzes, and it is therefore necessary that they be assorted by separating the nails of dlfi'erent sizes from one another, in order to render them available for use in the heel nailing or other machines. It should be understood that in a days work each heel nailing machine, for example, may be called upon to drive nails which vary in one or more of their physical characteristics such as nails of different lengths and in a row of machines some machines may operate with nails such as 10/8 length nails, some with 12/8 length nails, and others with 16/8 length nails. It will there fore be seen that in such case after the nails have been clained their assortment accord ing to their lengths is essential. Accordingl'y, the present invention has for its primary object the assortment of nails from a mass of nails of miscellaneous sizes, and a highly important feature of the invention consists in the provision of automatic mechanism for separating such nails and assorting them for subsequent use.

mportaint features of the invention reside 111 novel-gaging means for determining a physical characteristic of thenails and in means for positively controlling the osition and arrangement of the nails relatlvely to the gaging means, the nails which differ in the characteristic determinedby the gaging means being separately delivered from the gaging means. In the illustrated construction, means are provided for intermittently supplying the nails to the gaging means from a raceway and the gaging means is operated intermediate of the operations of the nail supplying means to gage completely the nails supplied to the gaging means by one operation of the nail supplying means previous to the next succeeding operation of the nail supplying means.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, a plurality of nail receiving receptacles is provided which are movable relatively to the gaging means to cause the nails which diifer in the characteristics determined by the gaging means to be deposited in different receptacles.

As shown, the nails are assortedthrough the instrumentality of a gate which is so controlled by automatic mechanism that it Will be given opening movements, step-bystep, into positions corresponding with standard lengths of nails, and at each movement of the gate all of the nails of a predetermined length which have been delivered to the gate will be permitted to fall into a receptacle which is in position to receive the nails being discharged. 1 At the next upward movement of the gate the nails of a different size'will be discharged into another receptacle which has by that time been moved into receiving position, and these operations are continued through a prede termined, number of gate movements corresponding to the. number of sizes of nails which are to be handled by the heel nailing machines. The receptacles into, which, the various sizes of nails are received may be, and in the illustrated machine are, caused by the mechanism of the machine to move automatically in position to receive the nails of each size, and such mechanism is so timed relatively tio-the-nail discharging mechanism that the buckets. selected for one length of nail will-return-to position for again receiving. nailsof; that length when the gate is delivering them, which is once-for every cycle of operation ofthe machine.

-W'hile-.the invention is primarily designed for use in connection with machines for cleaning'nails which are collected withthe sweepings from a shoe factory, of the type shown for example in my co-pending application heretofore referred to, it is to be understoodi that it is in no sense limited to such use, but may be employed generally for assorting nails from a mass of nails of various sizes, and-1 its advantages are obviously obtainable regardless of whether such nails have been previously'subjected to a cleaning operation, or not. Moreover, certain features of the invention are not restricted in their application to assorting articles according to length, but may be used in a machine for assorting nails or other articles with respect to some other dimension or physical characteristic. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention shall not be limited except by the language of 'the appended claims.

Other features o-f'the invention, including important details of construction and combinations ofparts, will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows, in side elevation, a machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail view ofthe nail trip and delivery mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the nail assorting gateand one of the receiving buckets, with the gate in, closed position, and

Fig. 4-is a similar view, showing the gate raised with; one length of nail discharging into a bucket.

The machine frame 2 supports, in suitable bearings, amain shaft8 which receives power through a belt Band pulley 10, from a suitable source. The shaft 8 is provided with a pinion 12 which mesheswith a gear 14 fast on a shaft 9, which is carried by bearings in the main frame, and the gear 14 meshes with a smaller gear 16, on a shaft 17, rotating in suitable bearings, and provided with a pulley 18 from which extends a belt 20, the latter passingabout a pulley 22 on a roller 6. The-roller 6 is provided with a pulley 20 which receives a belt 24, said belt extending over a pulley 28 which is secured to a roller like the roller 6, but located onthe opposite side of the machine from the latter. The two. rollers referred to are arranged beneath and support the nail hopper 4, the latter having an annular rib which engages with grooves in the two rollers, and through which connections the hopper is rotated. The hopper may be provided interiorly with a series of inclined nail shelves which are constructed, as the hopper rotates, to lift nails from the mass of nails in the hopper and deposit them upon a raceway 30. This hopper, together with its associated driving mechanism, may be substantially the same as similar parts which are shown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 1,005,303, granted October 10, 1911 upon an application of Joseph H. Pope.

The raceway 80, which is inclined, is shown herein as supported upon an arm 31 the lower end of which is pivotally sustained from a bracket 2 extending from the frame of the machine, and suitable mechanism may be applied to the arm for imparting oscillations to the raceway for causing the nails to move freely along the grooves therein. At the lower end of the raceway is a nail trip device which with the hopper 4 and raceway 3O constitutes the nail supplying mechanism of the machine. This mechanism is shown best in Fig. 2, and is operated once in each cycle of operation of the machine to transfer a charge of nails from each of the raceway grooves into a. conductor section 38. Said mechanism comprises an oscillating cylinder 82, provided with nail passages extending therethrough and having an arm 34 which is connected by a link 36 with one end of a lever 40. The lever is fulcrumed to the machine frame, and is provided at its opposite end with a cam roll 40 which engages the periphery of a cam 44 carried by the shaft 40, the cam having a depressed portion into which the roll is forced by a spring 42, once in each complete cycle of the machine. and an ad justable stop screw 41 is provided for limiting the throw of the lever 40 under the influence of the spring.

The shaft 46 carries a large gear 47 which is drivenv from a pinion on the shaft 9. The described parts are so or anized that during the time that the cam roll40 is restingupon the high portion of the cam disk the nail discharging device 32 willbe held in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and no nails will be discharged; when the cam disk has rotated to that point where the roll is permitted to enter the cam depression. the discharge device will be moved into the position shown by dotted lines. and a charge of nails will be delivered into the grooves ofthe conductor section 38.

At the lower end of the conductor section is a nail engaging foot plate 50 which arrests the nails delivered to the section. The section 38 is provided with a gaging memher in the form of a reciprocating assorting gate 48 which is provided with a plurality of grooves 100 alternating with ridges 102 which in conjunction with the foot plate 50 positively control the position and arrangement of the nails relatively to the gaging member 48. The nails occupy an inclined position in the grooves of the gate 48, resting backwardly and downwardly upon the assorting gate, which latter is movable stepby-step upwardly to open spaces between it and the foot plate 50 corresponding with the standard lengths of heel nails.

The gate is provided with a rigid arm 52 which may be adjustably secured at different points along the gate by a clamp screw 54. The arm 52 is connected by a link 55 with one end of an operating lever 56, which is fulcrumed to the frame at 58 and carries at its opposite end a cam roll 60 running in a cam groove 62 which is formed in a cam disk carried rigidly by the shaft 46, and hence said cam is rotated with the cam 44. The cam groove or track 62 is so designed that when the cam is slowly rotated by the described connections, including the pinion and gear 47, the roll 60 will be moved inwardly, from its position as shown in Fig. 1, by successive steps, toward the center of the cam thereby causing the left hand end of lever 56 to rise and open the gate 48 to discharge nails of a predetermined length at each upward movement of the gate.

When the parts are as shown in Fig. 1 the cam roll occupies that portion of the groove 62 which is farthest removed from the shaft 46 and the gate is closed, so that no nails will be discharged. When the cam has rotated in a contra-clockwise direction sufliciently for the roll to pass onto the first drop 62 of the cam move, the gate will be raised a distance suiiicient to discharge the.

shortest nails, which will tip over backward and fall downwardly into a. bucket 64, located immediately below the discharge spout 53. Upon a further movement of the cam the roll will pass onto the second drop, 62, thereby lifting the gate the distance appropriate for the next length of nails which latter will be permitted to tip over backward and fall down into another bucket 64, which has been brought in positionto receive them, and upon the continued movement of the cam the roll will pass onto the third drop, 62, of the cam groove, thus lifting the gate a further distance and permitting the discharge of nails of the next length into still another bucket 64, which in the meantime has been brought into receiving position. This procedure is continued through a predetermined number of gate movements, each of which corresponds to a given size of nail to be handled, and the number of gate movements for each complete cycle of the machine will be such as to accommodate all the different sizes of nails which may be used in the heel nailing machines. After the final lifting movement has been imparted to the assorting gate, the cam roll 60 will move into that portion of the cam groove which it is shown as occupying in Fig. 1, moving the outer arm of the lever 56 downwardly and closing the gate preliminary to repeating the cycle of movements.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the gaging member or, gate 48 is operated intermediate of the operations of the nail supplying device 32 to gage completely the nails supplied at one operation of the nail supplying device previous to the next successive operation of said device.

The nail receiving receptacles or buckets 64 are carried by a sprocket chain 66, which passes over four sprockets 67 one of which 67, is fast to the rotatable shaft 9, which acts as the driver. A portion of the sprocket chain is caused to pass round a sprocket wheel 68, which is carried by a shaft 68*, and is adjustable in a slotted portion of the frame by means of an adjusting screw 69 for the purpose of controlling the amount of slack of the sprocket chain. vancing mechanism for the receiving buckets 64 is designed to operate in such time relation to the operation of the nail discharge mechanism, that the same bucket will always be presented in position to receive nails of the same length, throughout the successive cycles of operation of the machine.

i In the use of the machine, nails of miscellaneous sizes are placed in the hopper 4, which is rotated and lifts nails'from the mass and deposits them upon the inclined raceway 30, the nails gravitating down the grooves in this raceway until they rest in the position shown in Fig. 2, where the discharge device is positioned with its openings out of line with. the lower raceway section. The cams of the machine then occupy the positions shown in Fig 1. When the cam 44 is rotated, the roll 40 will pass from the depressed to the raised portion of the cam and the discharge device 32 will move into position for permitting a charge of nails to pass into the section 38, and they will gravitate along the grooves therein until arrested-by the foot plate 50, as shown in Fig. 3. Subsequently, the gate 48 will be raised a distance sufficient to permit nails of the shortest length to fall into the bucket 64 which is at that time beneath the spout 53. Upon a continuation of the operation of the machine the chain of buckets will be advanced to locate another bucket beneath the spout 53, and thegate will be raised a further distance to permit the discharge of nails of the next The ad-.

length, which will fall into the bucket which at that time is beneath the spout. Upon a further operation of the machine, the gate will move to discharge nails of still a difierent length which will be received in still another bucket which was located in appropriate position therefor by the chain advancing mechanism. Each bucket will, therefore, contain only nails of a given length, and the nails may be removed from the buckets and supplied as needed to the heel nailing machines. It will thus be seen that the machine is entirely automatic in its action, requiring from the operative merely the depositing of the nails in the hopper 4, and the removing of the assorted nails from the buckets 64.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

-1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, gaging means for determining a physical characteristic of nails, means for moving the gaging means, means for'positively controlling the arrangement of said nails relatively to the direction of the move ment of the gaging means, and mechanism including said gaging means for separately delivering the nails which differ in the characteristic determined by the gaging means.

2. In a machine of the class described, in combination, opposed gaging members, means for gradually separating said members from one another, and means for positioning an elongated object to be gaged with its long dimension disposed transversely of the space opened up by separation of said gaging members so that such object will be delivered from said gaging members sooner or later according as it is relatively short or long.

3. In a machine of the class described, in combination, gaging members, means for gradually separating said gaging members, and means for positioning a plurality of elongated objects against one of said gaging members with their long dimensions disposed transversely of the space opened up between said gaging members so that the short objects are delivered from said gaging members prior to the discharge of the longer objects thus'enabling the separation of the short and long objects.

4. In a machine of the class described, gaging means for determining a physical characteristic of a nail, means for moving the gaging means, and means carried by the gaging means for positioning the nail substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of the gaging means.

5. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a nail engaging member, gaging means constructed to support a nail ininclined relation against said engaging member and to engage the nail loosely so as not to move it away from said member upon movement of the gaging means, and means for moving the gaging means away from said member so as to discharge the nail from between said engaging member and gaging means at a point dependent upon its length.

6. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a nail engaging member, gag- .c: means constructed to support a nail in inclined relation against said engaging member and to engage the nail loosely so as not to move it away from said engaging member upon movement of the gaging means, means for moving the gaging means away from said engaging member, and means for positively retaining the nail disposed substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of the gaging means.

7. In a machine of the class described, in combination, gaging means for determining a physicalcharacteristic of nails, means for separately delivering the nails which. differ in said characteristic, a plurality of receptacles, and means for moving said receptacles relatively to said nail delivering means. to cause the nails which differ in said characteristic to be deposited in different receptacles.

8. In a machine of the class described, in combination, gaging means for determining a physical characteristic of nails, means for moving said gaging means, a plurality of receptacles to receive the nails discharged from said gaging means, and means for effecting movement of one of said receptacles out of and another into receiving position upon movement of said gaging means from one gaging position to another.

9. In a machine of the class described, in combination, gaging means for determining a physical characteristic of nails, means for separately delivering the nails which differin such characteristic, and means for intermittently feeding the nails to be operated upon to said gaging means.

10. In a machine of the class described, nail assorting mechanism comprising gaging means, means for delivering a supply of nails to said gaging means, operating means for said gaging means for moving the gaging means to different operative positions whereby all the nails delivered to the gaging means are gaged, and operating means for the nail delivering means constructed to cause the delivery of a second supply of nails only after the first supply is entirely gai ed.

11. In a machine of the class described, nail assorting mechanism comprising gaging means for determining a physical characteristic of the nails, intermittently operated means for supplying the nails to said. gaging means, and means for operating said gaging means intermediate ofthe operations of the nail supplying means to gage completely the nails supplied at one operation of the supplying means previous to the next successive operation of said means.

12. In a machine of the class described, a raceway, nail assorting mechanism comprising gaging means positioned to receive the nails from the raceway, and means for con trolling the passage of the nails from the raceway to said gaging means.

13. In a machine of the class described, a raceway, nail. assorting mechanism comprising gaging means positioned to receive the nails from the raceway, and means for intermittently supplying nails from the raceway to the gaging means.

14. Ina machine of the class described, a raceway, nail assorting mechanism comprising gaging means positioned to receive the nails from the raceway, means for intermittently supplying nails from the raceway t0 the gaging means, and means for operating the gaging means intermediate of the operations of the nail supplying means to gage completely the nails supplied at one operation of the nail supplying means prior to the next successive operation of said means.

15. In a machine of the class described, a raceway, nail assorting mechanism comprising gaging means positioned to receive the nails from the raceway and constructed to control the position and arrangement of the nails relatively to the gaging means, means for intermittently supplying nails from the raceway to the gaging means, and means for operating the gaging means intermediate of the operations of the nail supplying means to gage completely the nails supplied at one operation of the nail supplying means prior to the next successive operation of said means.

16. In a machine of the class described, a plurality of receptacles, intermittently operated means for supplying nails to said receptacles, and gaging means intermediate of the receptacles and nail supplying means constructed to deliver the nails supplied at one operation of the nail supplying means selectively into said receptacles previously to the next successive operation of the nail supplying means.

17. In a machine of the class described, in combination, gaging means operable simultaneously on a plurality of nails for determining a physical characteristic of the nails and means for. efiectin the substantially simultaneous delivery rom. said gaging means of nails which are alike as to said characteristic.

18. In a machine of the class described, in combination, gaging means operable simultaneously on a plurality of nails for determinin a physical characteristic of the nails an comprising a member formedwith alternate channels and ridges to receive control a plurality of nails, means disposed substantially at right angles to said ridges for engaging the nails, and means for movingsaid gage member away from said engaging means and in the direction in which mass of nails of various lengths, and gaging means for the nails constructed to deliver nails of like length substantially simultaneously.

20. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for receiving a mass of nails of various lengths, a plurality of receptacles, and means for successively delivering nails of like length simultaneously to one of said receptacles.

21. A machine of the class described hav ing, in combination, a nail engaging member, a gate mounted to move toward and from said member to gage a physical characteristic of nails resting upon said gate and in contact with said member, means for delivering the nails in position upon said gate, and operating mechanism for imparting to said gate a progressive opening movement for successively discharging nails which dilfer in such characteristic.

, 22. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a nail engaging member, a gate movable from said member to gage a physical characteristic of nails resting upon said gate and in contact with said member, means for imparting to said gate movements in opposite directions, one of said movements being a progressive operating movement for successively discharging nails which differ in such characteristic and of an amplitude such as to deliver all of the nails from between said member and gate and the other being a reverse movement to close the opening between said gate and member, and means for delivering a fresh supply of nails to said gate subsequent to each closing movement of the gate.

23. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a raceway, means for delivering nails of varying lengths to said raceway, and nail assorting means for separately discharging nails of different lengths from said raceway.

231. ,A machine of the class described having, in combination, a raceway, means for delivering nails of varying lengths to said raceway, and nail assorting means for separately discharging nails of difierent lengths from said raceway, said means comprising mechanism operable to support the nails.

25. A machine of the class described havin in combination, a raceway, means for delivering nails of difi'erent lengths to said raceway, and a device for automaticallydischarging, in successive steps, nails of the same length only from the raceway at each operation.

26. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a raceway, means for delivering nails of different lengths to said raceway, a gate, and operating mechanism for imparting to said gate a plurality of opening movements for discharging nails of a predetermined length at each movement.

27. A machine of the class described having, in combination. 'a raceway, means for delivering nails of difierent lengths to said raceway, a gate, operating mechanism for opening said gate by successive movements to deliver nails of a given length at each movement and "separate receptacles m'ovab'le into position to receive thenails of each length.

28. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a raceway, means for delivering nails of different lengths to said raceway, a gate, operating mechanism for opening said gate st'ep-by-step to discharge from the raceway nails of a given length only at each movement, receptacles for receiving the nails, and mechanism for adv-ancin'g said receptacles in position to receive nails, said mechanism being so timed that each receptacle will receive nails of a given length only.

29. In a machine for assorting nails, the combination with a raceway, of means for delivering nails of varied lengths to said raceway, means having a step-by-step movement for discharging from the raceway nails of a given length only at each movement, an endless chain carrying buckets to receive the nails, and mechanism for advancing said buckets so constructed and arranged that each bucket-will be moved in position to re ceivenails' 'of the same length only during successive cycles of operation of the machine.

80. In a machine for asserting nails, the combination with a raceway, of a conductor section connected therewith, a movable gate in said'secti'on having plurality of grooves,

means for delivering nails of various lengths to said raceway, and means for opening said gate in successive steps to deliver at each opening moven'ient nails of a given length only from said section.

31-. In a machine for assorting nails, the combination with a raceway, of means for depositing nails of various lengths thereon, an inclined conductor section communicating with said 1"acewa'y, a movable gate in said conductor section communicating therewith,

means for depositing nails of various lengths on said raceway, nail trip and delivery mechanism for controlling the delivery of nails from the raceway to said section, a movable gate in said section, and mechanism for opening said gate in a plurality of steps constructed and arranged to discharge nails of a given length only from the section at each opening movement.

In a machine for assorting nails, the combination with an inclined raceway, of a foot plate for arresting the nails, a gate movable in said raceway, and means for opening said gate in a plurality of steps, said means being constructed and arranged to permit nails of a given length only to be discharged at each opening movement.

34:. In a machine for asserting nails, the combination with an inclined raceway, of means for delivering nails of different lengths thereto, a foot plate to sustain the nails in said raceway, and a movable gate constructed and arranged to be opened in a plurality of steps for discharging nails of a given length at each opening movement.

35. In a machine for assorting nails, the combination with a raceway, of means for delivering nails of various lengths thereto, a movable gate for controlling the discharge of nails from said raceway, an endless chain of buckets for receiving the nails discharged from said raceway, and mechanism constructed and arranged to open the gate in a plurality of steps and to advance said buckets so as to position a difi'erent bucket below the raceway for each gate opening movement. said parts being so arranged that each bucket will receive nails of a given length only throughout successive cycles of operation of the machine.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ROBERT H. LAWSON.

Cor e! '0! this patent may be obtam'edfor'five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

